Catalyst
by SherlockBones
Summary: Contains spoilers for "Wannabe in the Weeds". The final few minutes of the episode as seen from Booth's point of view. This is my first Bones fanfiction attempt. This is the first, hopefully, in the Simple Chemistry series.
1. Chapter 1

It happened in the blink of an eye; one moment he was laughing as he watched his Bones belt out 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and thinking she wasn't a half bad singer, and the next, he was falling to the ground as a bullet ripped through his chest

This is my first Bones fanfiction, so I do apologize if it's terrible. This is basically the final few minutes of "The Wannabe in the Weeds" as seen from Booth's point of view. I would like to continue this story further, but it could also stay as a one shot. I would greatly appreciate reviews. Thank you for reading. And of course, I don't own Bones.

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It happened in the blink of an eye; one moment he was laughing as he watched his Bones belt out 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and thinking she wasn't a half bad singer, and the next, he was falling to the ground as a bullet ripped through his chest. He had moved on instinct; someone intended to hurt his Bones, and he would do anything to protect her, even giving his own life. The force of the impact sent him reeling backwards, but Brennan was by his side in an instant, her hands pressed against the gaping wound in his chest. Despite her reassurances that he would be fine, he had seen enough gunshots in his life to know that the situation was very serious. He had faced death before, it came with the territory of being a sniper and an FBI special agent; but for the first time, he was truly scared. Not about going to Heaven, or fulfilling his mission to repent for the lives he had taken, but about leaving his Bones. He had made a promise that he would never abandon her, and he hated to break a promise, especially to Bones.

He tried to focus on her face, as she hovered above him frantically calling his name, but his vision was blurred and his brain sluggish. Under different circumstances, he would have thrived on the closeness of their bodies or the intimate way she caressed his face, but now was not the time and place for those kinds of fantasies. He gripped her hand tightly as a wave of pain washed over his damaged body and a warm wetness soaked his thin t-shirt.

A sudden, sickening thought gripped Booth; where was Pam, and where was the gun? He tore his gaze away from his partner and looked up to see the crazed stalker holding up the gun again, pointing it straight at his beloved Bones. He wanted to call out, to warn his partner of the imamate danger, but he couldn't seem to catch his breath. Panic continued to rise within him, knowing he was powerless to stop the next attack. Without warning, Brennan grabbed his gun, fired a single shot into his attacker's throat, and then returned to caring for Booth. He cringed inwardly, knowing how much it affected Bones to take a life, but this time there was no hesitation in her movements and she shot with deadly accuracy. He only hoped that he would have the chance to one day thank her for saving his life again; hell, he'd buy her the gun she's always wanted.

Tears were now freely flowing down her cheeks and he mentally berated himself for making her cry. He tried so hard to get her to open up, to allow him inside the walls around her heart, and it seemed that evening that it was finally coming true.; watching her sing and twirl around the stage, reverting back to that 13 year old girl within who loved Cindy Lauper and dreamed of being a star. Everyone had been having so much fun. Now he wondered if she would ever open up again. He would give anything just to see her smile again.

His thoughts turned to Parker and anger flared though him when he realized that he might never get to watch his son grow up, to see what kind of man he would become. Who would explain to the six year old little boy that his beloved father was dead? The last time he had been hospitalized, Parker had nightmares for a month about his father dying. It had taken several heart to heart conversations and reassurance from Brennan, the only doctor Parker trusted, that his father would indeed be okay. Who would teach Parker how to play sports? Who would teach him to drive? Who would help him get ready for a date? Of course there was Brent, but Booth was his father and it was his job to do all of these things. If he came out of this, he was going to petition for greater parental rights. He didn't want to be a "sometimes dad". He wanted to play a much larger role in his son's life. To start, he was taking Parker to Disney World. He had made a promise when his son's 5th birthday that they would go one day, and he planned on keeping that promise. A full two weeks, just father and sun in the happiest place on earth. Yes, that sounded nice.

His vision was beginning to cloud as he fought to stay conscious. Brennan was now hugging him and sobbing into his blood soaked chest. He wanted to hold her in his arms one last time and assure her that everything would be okay, but his muscles refused to obey his commands and he had no breath with which to speak. A numbness was seeping into his limbs, slowly creeping up his extremities, which made even the slightest movements out of the question.

As he lay there, his mind began to drift back to his life before Bones. It was a darker time in his life; Rebecca was being less liberal with the visitation rights, his relationship with his parents was strained to say the least, he was angry most of the time, did his job with an almost cold efficiency, and hated dealing with "squints". Then Dr. Temperance Brennan walked into his life and everything changed. Sure, they bickered all the time and would probably never see eye to eye on many subjects, but he enjoyed the thrill of a good debate and watching her passionately argue her side. He still remembered back in the diner how his heart had swelled when she told him that she admired his areas of expertise and felt that he was an excellent agent; it meant a lot coming from her. She was best described as an enigma; he had learned to read her emotions over time, but she still never ceased to amaze him. He loved to watch her; the way she worked in the lab, her eyebrows furrowing when she was deep in concentration, how confused she would become by pop culture references, and the cute little snort that would escape at the end of her laugh. Everything about this woman fascinated Seeley Booth and he could spend hours studying her, like she would in turn study a skeleton, trying to find every last secret.

The darkness was coming more quickly know, threatening to swallow him whole. It was becoming increasing hard to breath and his entire body was numb. Despite hearing sirens in the background, he was afraid that he couldn't hang on much longer. He didn't want to leave. He prayed to God for just one more chance; to catch more bad guys, to raise his son, to be a better Catholic, and to be with his Bones. To watch over her, protect her, and to love her; it was in those last few final minutes that Seeley Booth realize the depth of his feelings for Temperance.

He had cared for her, more than a partner should, for a long while now, but that stupid line stopped any great show of affection. He had satisfied himself with placing his hand on the small of her back, lightly caressing her cheek when she was upset, the double date with Sweets, finding random reasons to eat Thai food, their mistletoe kiss, and of course the "guy hugs". But now, now he wanted more. He wanted to hold her in his arms always, wake up next to her every morning, stop her mid argument with a mouth crushing kiss, eat her famous macaroni and cheese, show her how two people become one, maybe even start a family one day; but if nothing else, to just be with her for the rest of his natural life.

Unfortunately, it seems like those days were coming to a close, and he would never have the chance to tell her how he felt. He didn't even have the breath to say goodbye. He made one last prayer to God, promising if given the chance, he would tell Bones how he felt. Then the blackness overtook him and he slipped into oblivion, still clutching her delicate hand.


	2. Author's Note

Hello Everyone

Hello Everyone! I have decided to leave this piece as a one shot, but plan on continuing the saga with other stories, in a series called Simple Chemistry. I have posted the next installment, entitled "Chain Reaction". Thank you all for reading, and I appreciate each bit of feedback received.


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